Had another lesson yesterday, spent the day flying (weather was gorgeous).

Did a "cross-country" from Hartford to Keene, NH , back to Hartford area.
Practiced spotting landmarks for visual flight cross country (roads, train tracks, towns, rivers, towers, etc.).
Not easy to fly the plane, read the charts, calculate your route, and match the stuff on the chart with what you are actually seeing.

Practiced maneuvers, including "engine out" landing at a little airstrip near the coast.

Sure gets the adrenaline going when you are circling to land with no engine. You know you
only get one shot. I landed the sucker though, you would have thought I knew what I was doing.
Of course it helped knowing my instructor was in the right seat with his hands on the controls in case
he had to save us:-)
Instructor said I needed to relax though (had a death grip on the yoke). Easy for him to say, it was
my second landing ever and here I was coming in low over some trees with no engine!

At one point he demonstrated an "engine out" landing on a tiny grass strip, literally in peoples back yard.
It seems a group of people (obviously made up of people with money) have their own private grass strip right
in their back yard. Interesting experience, I'm glad he was doing the flying at that point.
He then demonstrated taking off from a short grass strip with trees at the end (using "ground effect" lift). I would have definitely ended up
in someone's living room:-)

Louis has been flying for 50 years now.
Spent 23 years in the Belgium Air Force.
He's flown everything from tiny general aviation aircraft to 727's and C-130's. It shows, he really knows his stuff.
He flies a plane better than most people drive a car. He's very laid back and an excellent teacher. He pushes you but never
makes you feel you are in over your head.

Having a ball, just gotta save some more money now so I can take more lessons.